Eportfolio Introductory Activity #1 in

ePortfolio Introductory Activity #1 In order to acquaint students with the Internet and the way in which information if linked on web pages, a quick activity can be sued that will both motivate students to engage in the classroom generally and at the same time will allow learners of different styles and capabilities to engage in the activity at their own pace. Wikipedia can be used for this exercise, which also provides an opportunity for a discussion on the reliability of sources and how to determine this reliability.

The activity itself, however, would consist of everyone beginning on the same Wikipedia page and seeing how many links it takes for them to reach another target page that does not appear related at all (for example, the page on aardvarks could lead students to the page on mammals, which leads to a page on fur, which leads to fur trading, to the Acadians, the French Revolution, and the guillotine).

The student with the lowest number of links to get from the beginning page to the target page will win a small prize -- a candy bar or something similar. A time limit of five minutes will be set, and if students reach the target page with a lot of time left over they can simply begin again and try to reach the target in a fewer number of links. Those contending for the prize will need to demonstrate how they accomplished the feat -- i.e.

they must map out the links they followed. This exercise will introduce students to web-based research and the wealth of information that is available, the ways to supplement knowledge regarding a topic, and even the dangers of distraction. Learners can each approach the project in their own way; some will spend a lot of time reading on different pages, while others will simply click links as quickly as possible. Different interests and approaches are supported.

Introductory Activity #2 While developing specific introductory activities for specific lessons and knowledge areas is highly beneficial, there is also a basic introductory activity that can be used at the start of every class regardless of the specific lesson that is to be presented during the class period. This can be made to fit any specific area of knowledge that is going to be transmitted, and also allows for the students themselves to largely direct the conversation used to introduce the topic at hand.

At the start of each class, an open ended and ultimately unanswerable discussion question will be written on the board, already visible as students come into the classroom. Most students will undoubtedly read the question on their own upon entering the room, especially once they are sued to the practice. The first five minutes of the actual class period will then consists of various attempts to answer the question and resulting discussions, with students taking turns to speak but doing so largely unprompted and undirected by the instructor.

Certain students should be encouraged to contribute when it is clear they will not do so on their own, and others might need to be asked to refrain from speaking on occasion in order to give more students opportunities, but as much as possible the classroom should direct the conversation. Questions can be related to ethics, certain philosophical quandaries such as the source of knowledge/ability to know, qualitative and subjective discussions of the merits of various characters, or anything that pertains to the material of the actual lesson.

All students will be able to interpret and respond to the question in their own manner, and all answers and thoughts will be encouraged. Introductory Activity #3 Despite certain essay formats being assigned to students throughout the earlier years of their education, many students arrive in high school unable to effectively organize information in their work. As an introductory activity to a major writing assignment in which organization will be a key factor in success, a demonstration of the importance of organization will be delivered in an engaging and direct manner.

Five students will be selected, and each student will be given a single sentence in a five-sentence story. The story will be constructed in such a way as to make each sentence seem all but nonsensical if they are arranged out of order -- each sentence will depend on information provided in the previous sentence. The students will first read their sentences in a random order as distributed by the instructor, and then sort themselves into the correct order such that the story or paragraph makes sense.

This can be repeated several times with new sets of students and texts of growing lengths and complexities, before segueing into the direct lesson on the importance of organizing information in a piece of academic writing and the different methods by which this organization can be achieved. This lesson will help students increase their awareness of information as something that is both discrete and made of independent facts, yet also something that is continuous and overlapping.

Learners who approach knowledge in different ways -- as interconnected patterns or as solid and independent chunks, for example -- can both derive utility out of this approach, supplementing their standard approach with an awareness of the other. This should help them in the organization of their own thoughts, as they are able to recognize and shift information so that a progression emerges. Introductory Activity #4 This activity pertains to a segment studying Romeo and Juliet, a staple in ninth and tenth grade English curricula.

As a means of introducing students to the time period, different groups will be assigned the task of researching various elements of the culture in Elizabethan England (though the play is ostensibly set in an earlier period in Verona, Italy, the literary tropes and general style are wholly evocative of Shakespeare's own time and place). Presentations must include a visual element, a handout with text and possibly a graphic representation of certain information, and an oral report on the basic findings of each group.

Elements to be studied will include style of dress, typical foods, average housing arrangements, hygiene habits, and other similar elements. Though this could easily be made into a long-term research project, with adequate computer and Internet access students should be able to accomplish this project in no more than fifteen minutes, and potentially less.

It is expected that each presentation will take another two to three minutes, but the devotion of this much time on an introductory activity is warranted due to the breadth of information to be covered as well as the length of the unit that this activity introduces. Different group members will be able to contribute to heir report in ways that are most appealing to them, with visual learners able to assist with visual elements, those who learn verbally more able to provide the oral portion, etc.

The different ways in which information will be presented also provide different avenues for the other students paying attention the presentation to learn. In this way, accommodations for diverse students are made a part of the lesson. Administrator Qs What expectations do you discuss with your students regarding your classes? At the outset of every class as well as at the beginning of each unit, I discuss the specific areas of knowledge that students are going to become familiar with during the course of our time together.

This includes some specifics as to the work that students will be required to produce and that will be counted towards their grades, so that students become immediately acquainted with the knowledge area, processes, and skills that will be developed in the class and in each lesson. I tend to refrain from behavioral expectations at this age unless issues arise, as I feel that students are aware of what constitutes respectable behavior.

What skills and abilities should a high school student have in general? I think students in high school need to have a greater degree of accountability than in previous grades, both because they are able to accept this accountability and because it helps them progress towards adulthood. Critical thinking skills must be developed to an adequate degree as well, and this can take a lot of work depending on how effective previous years of education have been.

I believe that high school students are capable of achieving very high standards if they are held to them.